# Configure your account for Nacha compliance

Nacha, the governing body for the ACH network, is introducing a new requirement for online purchases of goods effective March 20, 2026 to help banks better identify and monitor certain ACH transactions. Starting on this date, transactions for online consumer purchases of physical or digital goods must be labeled by including "PURCHASE" in the Company Entry Description in the ACH file.
This requirement does not apply to purchases of services, donations, or bill payments.
Learn more about the 2026 Nacha rule changes and who they apply to.
Transactions classified as purchases of goods will include the “PURCHASE” label in the ACH file. You can configure how Stripe classifies your ACH debit transactions using one of two ways:
* [Dashboard settings](https://dashboard.stripe.com/settings/payment_methods): Configure classification settings in your Dashboard. Choose between Stripe’s automatic classification, classifying  all transactions as purchases, or classifying no transactions as purchases.
* **API configuration:** If you use the [Payment Intents API](https://docs.stripe.com/payments/payment-intents), control classification on a per-transaction basis through the `transaction_purpose` field. Use this to specify different classifications for different payments, see more details in our [docs](https://docs.stripe.com/payments/ach-direct-debit/nacha-purchase-rule#configure-a-transaction-through-the-api).
If you take no action, your transactions will default to automatic classification based on available signals including merchant information and transaction details.
## Dashboard Settings
Stripe provides a simple dashboard setting to configure how your ACH Direct Debit transactions are classified. Transactions which are classified as goods will include the “PURCHASE” label in the ACH file.
### Classification options
- **Automatically classify transactions**
  - Stripe automatically determines whether each transaction represents a purchase of goods based on available signals such as merchant information and transaction details. This option works for most businesses.
- **Classify all ACH transactions as goods**
  - Select this option if you exclusively sell physical or digital products. All your ACH transactions are classified as purchases of goods.
- **Don’t classify any transactions as goods**
  - Select this option if you provide services, accept donations, or collect bill payments rather than selling goods.
### How to configure transaction classification in the Dashboard
**For ACH direct debit**
1. Navigate to **Settings** → **Payment methods** → **ACH Direct Debit**
1. Locate the **Nacha compliance** section
1. Select one of the three classification options described above
**For Link instant bank payments**
1. Navigate to **Settings** → **Payments** → **Link** in your Dashboard
1. Locate the **Nacha compliance** section
1. Select one of the three classification options
### For Connect platforms
Connect platforms can choose from the same options in their payment method settings. As a platform user, when you configure your ACH classification under [payment method settings](https://dashboard.stripe.com/settings/payment_methods/us_bank_account), that setting applies to charges on the platform’s account and to [connect destination charges](https://docs.stripe.com/connect/destination-charges) and [separate charges and transfers](https://docs.stripe.com/connect/separate-charges-and-transfers) that don’t set the `on_behalf_of` parameter.
To configure settings for connect [direct charges](https://docs.stripe.com/connect/direct-charges) or charges with the `on_behalf_of`  parameter, navigate to your connect settings: **Settings → Connect → Payment Methods**, find ACH Direct Debit and click on **Configure Nacha classification** to choose from the same classification options as described above.
## Transaction-level configuration via the API
If you are using the [Payment Intents API](https://docs.stripe.com/payments/payment-intents), you can control whether individual transactions are classified as goods or services, using the transaction_purpose field in payment_method_options.us_bank_account on the Payment Intents API.
This field is **optional** and is not available in the [Charges API](https://docs.stripe.com/payments/ach-direct-debit/migrating-to-new-apis). If you don't provide a value, we fall back to your ACH Classification setting in the Dashboard. If no Dashboard setting is configured, Stripe automatically classifies transactions based on available signals such as merchant information and transaction details.
### Possible values
- Value
- Description
- PURCHASE included?
---
- `goods`
- The transaction pays for physical or digital goods, one-time or recurring
- Yes
---
- `services`
- The transaction pays for services (for example, streaming or web hosting)
- No
---
- `other`
- The transaction purpose is neither goods nor services (for example, donations or loan repayments)
- No
---
- `unspecified`
- Default when no purpose is specified; Stripe uses your Dashboard setting
- Depends on Dashboard setting
Visit our [public docs](https://docs.stripe.com/payments/ach-direct-debit/nacha-purchase-rule#configure-a-transaction-through-the-api) and [API documentation](https://docs.stripe.com/api/payment_intents/create#create_payment_intent-payment_method_options-us_bank_account) to learn more.